Projects Tango and Ara Provide Shock and Awe at Google I/O

Roughly 24 hours after Google's news-packed keynote address at I/O on Wednesday, developers were still whooping and hollering at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

The cause of all the excitement stemmed from ATAP, Google's Advanced Technology and Projects lab that serves as the little brother of sorts to Google X, the area of the company focused on moonshot projects like self-driving cars and Google Glass.

ATAP, which is just over two years old, has 11 projects underway, including the highly regarded projects Tango and Ara which generated the majority of excitement at one of the conference's most jam-packed breakout sessions.

Project Tango head Johnny Lee started off the session with an onstage demo, showing off the technology that uses multiple cameras to create 3D renderings by weaving together depth and location information. Tango was first unveiled on a smartphone in February, and Google rolled out a tablet version earlier this month.

A man plays a 3D game using Project Tango at Google I/O 2014.

Image: Mashable, Kurt Wagner

Lee showed off the tablet, which was also on display for passerby throughout the conference. He received a hearty round of applause when he generated a 3D replica of the stage in real time using Tango's depth cameras. He also demonstrated a few games on the device, and at one point crouched to his knees to interact with a small virtual wizard on the screen.

Developers will be able to buy the tablet — and with it begin to build their own apps on the technology — later this year.

Despite its early stage, Tango is one of the "more mature" projects at ATAP, according to Regina Dugan, the division's VP for engineering. One of the projects still a ways off is Project Ara, Google's foray into modular cellphone technology. The ultimate goal is to give users the ability to build their perfect phone, piece by piece, by making the phone features à la carte. If you want a great camera, you can splurge for one. If you prefer longer battery life instead, you can take that route.

Paul Eremenko, head of Project Ara, unveiled a prototype of the phone on stage Thursday, offering developers an early look at what his team has been building. The crowd loved it, even though the phone didn't fully turn on. Eremenko also announced the first of what will be will be multiple developer prizes handed out to those who can build successful modules that work alongside Google's prototype.

An image created by Project Tango when a tablet user carried the technology up a flight of stairs.

Image: Mashable, Kurt Wagner

The mood in Thursday's breakout session was more festive than Wednesday's keynote, offering a closer look at some of Google's more consumer-facing projects. Dugan helped set the mood with her opening remarks: "We're a small band of pirates trying to do epic sh*t," she said.

If developer response is any indication, this is one band of pirates everyone appears to be rooting for.

Google IO 2014 Keynote

A view of the Google I/O Developers Conference on June 25, 2014 in San Francisco.

Image: Mashable, Kurt Wagner

Attendees work on a laptop computers during the Google I/O Annual Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on June 25, 2014.

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Audience members settle in for the Google IO Keynote at the Google I/O Annual Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on June 25, 2014.

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Matias Duarte, Vice President of Design discusses Android L with has over 5,000 new API's, and takes a radical new approach to design.

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Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps for Google Inc., speaks during the Google I/O Annual Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on June 25, 2014.

Image: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps for Google Inc., speaks during the Google I/O Annual Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on June 25, 2014.

Image: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

A demonstrator waves a sign in protest of Google during the Google I/O Developers Conference at Moscone Center on June 25, 2014 in San Francisco, California.

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While the Moto 360 smartwatch won't go on sale until later this summer, Google said Samsung Gear Live is "joining the Android family," starting on Wednesday, too.

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It was also announced that the voice-enabled Android Wear platform, which lets users talk to wearables similar to Google Now, is now available in API for developers to built.

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A presenter demonstrates Android Auto on stage during the Google I/O Developers Conference at Moscone Center on June 25, 2014 in San Francisco, California.

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Google announced the Android Auto SDK as well; the company is releasing a full set of APIs for audio and messaging applications.

Image: Mashable, Kurt Wagner

Google launched the next phase of its in-car initiative, Android Auto, on stage at its annual developers conference, Google I/O. The system is completely voice-enabled.

Image: Mashable, Kurt Wagner

With Android L, there are special tools to keep work and personal apps separate. Data separation ensures the two environments don't interact, similar to what BlackBerry 10 does.

Image: Mashable, Kurt Wagner

Teased back in April thanks to an early leak, Google took the wraps off Android TV today at its Google I/O event in San Francisco.

Image: Mashable, Kurt Wagner

Google said it wasn’t abandoning Chromecast, announcing a feature Wednesday that allows devices to control Chromecast though a cellphone connection in addition to Wi-Fi. An update to Chromecast will allow a broader range of apps to be displayed on televisions.

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